Improvement in discharging breech-loading fire-arms



2 SheetQ-Sheet l H. STANTON.

Breech-Loading Ordnance.

Patented Aug. 16,1853

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.. H. STANTON.

I r Breech-Loading Ordnanbe. No. 9,950. Patented Aug. 16, 1853 NlTED STATES rricn.

ATENT- IMPROVEMENT'IN DISCHARGING BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 9,950, dated August 16, l i-,3.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY STANTON, of the Army of theUnited States of America, at present stationed in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful.Improvements in Fire-Arms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 represents a side elevation of the pistol, showing my improvements applied thereto; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same; Fig. 3, a view in perspective of the breech detached 5 Fig. 4, a top view of apiece of ordnance constructed upon the principles of my invention, and Fig. 5 a vertical longi tudinal section of the same.

The blue lines in Fig. 2 show the position of the breech when ready to shear the fuse.

My invention relates to that class of firearms and ordnance which is loaded at the breech instead of the muzzle; and it consists in constructing a movable breech in such manner that it will, when placedin one position, form a prolongation of the bore, to allow the load to be introduced through it into the chamber of the piece, and when placed in another position. will closethe butt-end of the bore, preparatory to firing off the charge, and, in addition to'these, which are the ordinary duties of this class of breeches, this shall also perform the duty of a lock in firing the charge.

In the accompanying drawings, the barrels A and stocks B of the pistols are represented of the usual form. The chamber 0 of the barrel for receiving the charge is slightly larger than the front part, D, of the bore. This enlargement of the butt facilitates the introduction of the cartridge. The barrel is pierced near its butt-end with atransverse cylindrical hole, made smooth and true and fitted with a cylindrical plug, E, which forms the breech. This plug is pierced in the manner of a faucetplug with a transverse aperture, F, of the same diameter as the chamber 0 and in a line therewith when the trigger or lever G, by which the plug is turned, is placed in the position seen in black lines in Fig. 2; but when the trigger is placed in the position seen in black lines in Fig. 1 the perforation of the faucet is atright angles to the bore, and the chamber C is closed by the solid side of the plug E.

Then the trigger is forward, as in Fig. 2, the cartridge H may be inserted as represented; and as the cartridge is provided at its rear end with a short piece of fulminating-fuse, whose inner end terminates in the charge of powder, while its outer end projects, say, from half to three-quarters of an inch, reaching into the aperture F of the plug E, so that as the latter is turned to close the breech the fuse will be caught between the edge 8 of the aperture F of the plug and the edge 2 of the chamber O and cut as with shears, and this cutting off will ignite the fuse, which will in turn ignite the powder and fire off the charge about the time the breech is fully closed. The end of the fuse cut off in closing the breech will drop down through the aperture I at the lower side of the breech. The aperture J at the upper side of the breech A will facilitate the application of a lubricant to the plug, which by this arrangement performs the usual functions of breech and also those of a lock. This improvement is applicable to all descriptions of fire-arms, the only change required being to make the butt of the barrel a littlev heavier than usual, so that the transverse perforation to receive the breech will not weaken it too much. ordnance show an enlarged breech.

To provide against accidents that might arise from opening the breech in case of missing fire, the piece may be fitted with a touchhole in the ordinary way, by means of which the charge may be fired off in any convenient manner.

The fulminating-fuse to ignite the cartridge may be made of any form and material that pyrotechnists see proper to employ for the purpose. There are many well-known mate rials that would answer-as, for example, the fulminating material used in the manufacture of Maynai'ds primer would do; but, instead of securing a string of pellets between strips of paper, cloth, or metal, as Maynard does, a round or fiat tube may be filled with it, and a piece of suitable length hermetically sealed and attached to the cartridge at the time the latter is made, or made separate and inserted into each cartridge just before inserting the latter into the gun. If the percussion material is made up with the cartridge, it may be wholly inclosed, and in that case would have to be ignited by clipping off the end of the The representations of the piece of cartridge; or, if the fuse should be allowed to protrude, a recess might be formed at the end of the cartridge to fold it into, so as to protect it against being crushed or detached by the handling or carriage of the cartridges. These, however, are practical details that must, in a great measure, be left to the judgment and skill of the person who prepares the cartridges.

The breech may be constructed in any suitable or convenient manner either in breechloading or other firearms for clipping off the fulminating material to ignite it, for so long as the firing is effected by the act of shearing through the fuse or fulminating compound it is immaterial how the parts are arranged for the purpose.

As the act of pulling the trigger is always prompt and the ignition of the powder always requires a space of time sufficient for the breech to turn from the point at which it cuts the fuse to the point at Which'it stands at rest fully closed, this piece is probably as free from (lair ger to the person using it as most others, and as little of the gases generated by the explosion issue at the rear as in any other piece, because close the rear of the barrel to prevent their escape at that point.

'What I claimas my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The method herein described of firing the charge of breeclrloadi'ng arms by the breech itself in the act of closing, thereby dispensing with the ordinary lock; and greatly simplifying the construction of arms, and diminishing correspondingly their cost and liability to get out of order and increasing their durability and efficiency.

2. The method of igniting the charge by shearing through the fulminating compound attached to the cartridge, substantially as herein set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

HENRY STANTON.

\Vitnesses:

l. H. VATSON, P. HANNAY. 

